A Novelist Treasure Hunt
by History is Made at Night
Summary: Teagan Rook, a writer who's been shot down on many occasions is about to embark on the greatest treasure hunt of her life. Along with Ben Gates, Riley Poole, and Abigail Chase - they go on the time of their lives, unknowingly that Teagan is the one who making everything up as she goes. Teagan doesn't believe in what she writes, but this time is different.
1. Chapter 1

**A Novelist Treasure **

**One**

_'You need a bestseller, Miss Rook.'_

_'You can't rely on everything from your sister, Teagan. I'm sorry.'_

_'Come back when you have a solid story.'_

_'Everything you've written isn't unique. Do something unique.'_

All the emails were the same to Teagan Rook, the up-and-coming novelist, nothing was going her way. She ran her hands through the dyed red hair, rereading each email from the editors about her newest books. Each rejected it in every which way because it didn't fit with what was popular. _Damn you J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown! _Teagan didn't care what was popular, she cared that it was her novel and people would love it either way. Normally, she didn't care what the editors said but it hit hard when one said the manuscript was terrible and to come back when she learned the English language. She knew editors were harsh and wanted to make the money but that was a little _too _harsh for Teagan's liking.

She sipped on her Starbucks coffee as she sat in front of her laptop, deleting the emails from the editors. Teagan opened up a new document, sitting there, thinking. Maybe if she got a title, then she'd have part one of the novel. She needed something, _anything_ to make her interested in story. Teagan was drawing a blank on what to write about until she realized one email she didn't get rid of.

_'Miss Rook, if you need a little help coming up with an idea. How about history? Do something with history - its really big right now because of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Just think about, Miss Rook. It could really boost the history fiction profits.' _

The idea hit Teagan like a ton of bricks.

_History,_ she thought as she brought up her Internet browser. _A president?_ Teagan shook her head. _Family history?_ Again, Teagan shook her head. She played with the ring on her finger. She glanced down at the ring, the symbol was looking up at her. Teagan smiled to her self. _Freemasons? That's prefect._

She remembered a story from her youth, someone by the name of John Adams Gates about this story about a ship and a treasure - of course she only thought of it as a story, nothing more.

_Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of a secret society known as the Masons, and he knew he was dying. Carroll woke up his stable boy in the middle of the night and ordered him to take him to the White House to see Andrew Jackson because it was urgent that he speak to the president. _

_Carroll never go the chance to talk with President Jackson, he wasn't there that night. _

_But Charles Carroll had a secret. _

_He took into this confidence the one person he could, Thomas Gates. _

_The secret: a treasure. A treasure beyond all imaging. A treasure that had been fought over for centuries by tyrants, pharaohs, emperors, warlords. And every time it changed hands, it grew larger. And then suddenly…_

_It vanished. _

_It didn't reappear for more than a thousand years, when knights from the First Crusade discovered secret vaults beneath the Temple of Solomon. You see, the knights who found the vaults believed that the treasure was too great for any one man - not even a king. They brought the treasure back to Europe and took the name: The Knights Templar. _

_Over the next century they smuggled it out of Europe and they formed a new brotherhood called the Freemasons, in honor of the builders of the great temple. _

_War followed. _

_By the time the American Revolution, the treasure had been hidden again, by then the Masons included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere. They knew they had to make sure the treasure would never fall into the hands of the British. So they devised a series of clues and maps to its location. _

_Over time, the clues were lost or forgotten, until only one remained - that was the secret that Charles Carroll entrusted to young Thomas Gates._

_Charlotte. 'The secret lies with Charlotte.' No one, not even Mr. Carroll knew who Charlotte was. _

_The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers left us clues. Examples, the unfinished pyramid, the all-seeing eye. Symbols of the Knights Templer, guardians of the treasure. They're speaking to us through these._

_Is the treasure true or is it all a lie to get kids interested in history? Who knows, if you believe it is, good for you. If you don't, learn your history. _

_If you're asking yourself if we're knights? Do you wanna be? _

_I, Kalyn Jemma Stanton, so solemnly swear to take it upon myself the duty of the Templars and the Freemasons. I will find this treasure and I will show the world that it wasn't all a lie. _

Teagan stopped, she had the beginning, the main character, and what she wanted but…what now? She knew what she wanted, she just had to get there. If only people still did treasure hunts, not those lame TV show versions. A _real _treasure with chases and bad guys and…hot guys.

"Yes, Ben, I know the importance of this information is. I get it but can I get fifteen minutes to myself?" Teagan turned towards the voice, seeing a hot guy on his phone. He walked over to a table close to hers. He pulled out his laptop. "I get this search for _Charlotte_, whatever it is, is important. I'm doing my best."

"_Charlotte_?"

"Pardon?"

"You said _Charlotte_. Are you talking about the Charles Carroll story?" Teagan asked. "Uh, Ben, I'll call you right back." Teagan watched the man put his phone away, staring at her, confused.

"You know you story?"

"My grandmother was friends with the guy told me. I'm Teagan Rook." Teagan smiled at the computer geek.

"Riley Poole."

"Nice meet you. So what's this about _Charlotte_?" Teagan asked. "Just a story my friend is trying to convince me about." Riley said.

"You don't think its real?"

"I believe it, I just-"

"Don't understand it. Why would knights, thieves, our founding fathers hide centuries worth of treasure and leave clues that don't make any sense? Understandable. I'm guessing you weren't a history major or minor?" Teagan asked. "Not at all." Riley said.

"Ah. Well, who's this guy who believes?"

"I doubt you've heard of him." Riley said. "Try me." Teagan smiled.

"Ben Gates."

"The historian?" Riley nodded. "It must have been his grandfather that told me the story. Benjamin Franklin Gates, his great-great-grandfather was Thomas Gates. He's like…my hero. I mean, I would die to meet him." Teagan was laying it on thick. She knew of Benjamin Gates. Yes, she minored in history but couldn't stand learning about it. She also major in journalism over English but it sounded better.

"I might be able to help you meet him."

"Really? Wow. I'll give you my number." Teagan wrote down her number, handing it over to Riley. She packed her things, saying bye to the computer geek. As Teagan walked out of Starbucks, thinking about her next scene. 'Tanner Edwin. Perfect for Kalyn's love interest.' Felecia thought, glancing back at Starbucks. Riley was already on his phone, probably talking to Ben Gates.

Teagan pulled out her phone, dialing her best friend, sister, and editor, Grace Rook. "Hey, Grace. I got a new novel idea. It has to do with a treasure and the Freemasons." She waited for the response from her sister. "Yeah, Grace! I have the beginning and the love interests, Kalyn Stanton and Tanner Edwin. It's going to be prefect. So, I have to go, Grace. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

It took a year for Ben Gates to have enough money and the research on where _Charlotte _actually was. As much as Teagan started to give up hope, Ben gave her a call when she was working on her back-up novel, just in case she never got to the other one with her main character of Kalyn. "Hello, Teagan Rook speaking."

_"Hello Teagan, I'm Ben Gates. My friend said you were interested in the Charlotte."_

"Ah, Riley Poole - yes. I kinda was expecting this call about a year ago, Mr. Gates. I do have a deadline to uphold." Teagan leaned back in her computer chair as her sister entered the office. Grace and Teagan shared the office, Grace could see her sister was on an important phone call. Teagan simply smiled at her sister, taking notes onto a post-it.

_"Sorry about that. I needed the funding and finally got it."_

"That's great, Mr. Gates!"

_"Please, call me Ben - after all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other after this phone call."_

Teagan almost jumped out of her chair and wanting to start packing for anything that happened to her. She didn't care if it took three extra years. "Why, Ben? I mean, I'm only an inspiring author. I can't help with anything."

_"Riley says you have a history background."_

"Minored in it."

_"That's good enough for me, Teagan. Riley did say you knew about Charlotte and my grandfather." _

"Uh, yeah. I think it was my grandmother who brought me and my sister Grace to his house and I was really into exploring. That attic was amazing, he sat me down and told me the story of _Charlotte, _Freemasons, and about your family, Ben. It was quite entertaining." Teagan started to doodle on the post-it note.

_"I'd like to meet you, Teagan. Meet me at the Archives?"_

"Sure thing, Ben. What time?"

_"45 minutes?"_

"Sounds good to me. See you then, Ben."

_"You too, Teagan."_

Teagan closed the flip phone, looking at her sister with a huge smile. Grace looked up from the PC, seeing her sister was beyond excited. "What's going on, Teagan?" Grace asked. "I'm meeting Ben Gates." Teagan said.

"Ben Gates? The historian with a wrack-o past?" Grace asked. "Gracie, this is going to the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm part of a treasure hunt as long as I don't piss off Ben Gates." Teagan said, grabbing her light-weight hoodie.

"Just be careful."

"Grace, I'm just going to the Archives. I think I'll be okay." Teagan said, grabbing her car keys.

**NT**

Teagan stood in front of the Declaration of Independence, reading some of the writing the best she could. It was odd to think about her fifth grade class and them winning the best Halloween-ish parade - her class was centered on the Declaration of Independence and Teagan got a costume and blew away her teachers and students. She held onto the class flag as they walked.

"Teagan Rook?" She turned, seeing Ben Gates behind her. "You must be Ben Gates, nice to meet you." She smiled at the Historian.

"The Declaration of Independence is a brilliant document." Ben said. "I may or may not have dressed up as a woman from the 1700s for a school thing one year." Teagan said.

"You are still in history?"

"Very much so - Da Vinci Code is one of my sister's favorite books, she let me read it." Teagan said. "So, you're an author?" Ben asked.

"Up and coming, none of my manuscripts have been taken to the printers but that's fine. Currently, I have an idea and I need a little help with the history part of it. If you were wondering, that's why I approached Riley. I knew he was friends with you and I wanted to talk to you." Teagan said. "Do you want to come on a hunt with me and my funder?" Ben asked.

"Oh, hell yeah."

* * *

**Hi...**

**Uh, some of you may be scratching your head. Well, I started writing this on my True to Your Heart account but after a while, I got bored of it. I just 'unofficially' closed that account because I really don't need it or use it. I'm transferring this story over to here. Why? Because I can. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own National Treasure, but if I did - National Treasure 3 would have been out already and I would make sure everyone who was present in the first two would be in number 3. Am I the only one out there that is like completely pissed that the third one hasn't been made yet? All I own is Teagan and Grace and her plot line(s).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Teagan was traveling across the snow in snow mobiles, she was sharing one with Ben Gates, Riley Poole, the funder, Ian Howe (she would be making him the villain) and his men were in the other snow mobile behind them. Teagan didn't tell anyone else that this was the story she was going to write, she just said that she needed to enhance her history she needed.

They were in the middle of the Arctic, looking for whatever _Charlotte_ was. Teagan was writing the whole plane ride and now, to get very detail right. "I was thinking about Henson and Perry, crossing this kind of terrain with nothing more than dog sleds and on foot. Can you imagine?" Ben asked.

"Its extraordinary." Riley's computer started to beep at them. "We closer?" Ian asked.

"Assuming Ben's theory's correct and my tracking model's accurate, we should be getting _very _close. But don't go by me - I broke a shoelace this morning." Riley said. Ian, Ben, and Teagan gave Riley a confused look.

"What?"

"It's-it's a bad omen."

"Since when?"

"Shall we turn around and go home?" Ian asked. "Or we could pull over and just throw him out here." Ben said. Ian chuckled as Teagan wrote that down. She hid her giggle.

Riley mocked a laugh, "OK."

"Riley, you're not missing that little windowless cubicle we found you in, are you?" Ben asked. "No, no. Absolutely not." Riley laughed as his computer did a continuous beeping at them. _We here,_ thought Teagan. Teagan got out of the snow mobile, standing on the running board.

"Why are we stopping? I thought we were looking for a ship." Shaw asked. "I don't see any ship." Shippen said.

"She's out there."

**NT**

Teagan was snapping pictures with her phone before anyone noticed. She wanted to help them find the treasure but she also wanted to get the details right of the adventure. Teagan turned on the medal detector, helping out the rest to look for _Charlotte_. "Look, this is a waste of time. How could a ship wind up way out here?" Shippen asked. "It could be the hydrothermic properties of this region produced hurricane-force ice storms that cause the ocean to freeze and then melt and refreeze - resulting in a semisolid migrating land mass that would land a ship right around here." Teagan rattled off with a smile before walking off. She left Shippen to think about what she just possibly said. That minoring in history was perfect time to use it, and remembering her science class from 7th grade didn't hurt either.

Teagan watched Ben stop a moment, placing his detector over a single place. He dropped the detector and started to dig at the snow. Teagan tossed her metal detector over to Ian and walked over to Ben when the pick clanked against something under the snow. Ben pushed the snow away from the object in the snow. Teagan could see the words 'Boston, Massachusetts' craved in as Ben took out a bottle of water. He poured some onto the snow. _Charlotte _appeared.

Teagan smiled. _It was real. It was all real._ She couldn't believe her eyes and couldn't think about anything other than her story. "Hello beautiful." Ben said.

It took quite a while to get the ship out of the snow banks, so Teagan was quickly jotting down notes to how the scene that was playing in front of her, should play on paper. Riley called her name the moment the ship was unearthed. As much as _Charlotte _was destroyed, she was still beautiful. Teagan tucked the notebook away and walked over to the ship. She touched the frozen wood, not paying attention to any of the conversations going on around her. She would make the dialogue later on. "OK! Let's go!" Ben yelled. Teagan jumped up onto the ship behind Riley.

"Let's go find some treasure."

"Yeah, bring us back something."

Ian, Shaw, Ben, Riley, and Teagan explored the inside of the ship. Teagan held up the flashlight as she walked. The whole ship was iced over which Teagan made a note of. She also made sure she didn't slip and killed herself in the process, which would put a damper on the treasure hunting, lose the random girl. Ben opened a hatch to another part of the ship, he went first. The others followed. Riley walked around, Teagan watched him as he moved the hammock, with terrifying gasps. There was a frozen corpse lying on the one below it. Riley slipped and fell to his ass.

"Oh, God!"

Riley got up from the floor, noticing Teagan's flashlight shining at him. "You handled that perfectly well." She smirked, Ben couldn't agree more. Riley shot her a glare before turning away from her.

"This is it." Ben yelled. Teagan turned towards Ben, seeing yet again hatch that lead into another room on the ship. "It's the cargo hold." Ben opened the door, breaking the ice seal around the wooden lock.

Teagan had no idea what was on the other side of the door but she hoped it would be a treasure or a clue to the treasure. It was kinda a let down when everyone was frozen over in the cargo hold and the room was covered in barrels. Teagan sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "You think it's in the barrels?" Riley was the first to speak after the silence. Teagan lowered her hood, walking over to a barrel. She slammed the top of barrel with the head of the flashlight, all she saw was gunpowder. Teagan looked around, watching the others at barrels.

"Gunpowder." Ian informed as Riley pulled a cork out of one of the lidded barrels. Gunpowder fell to the ground at his feet. He scrambled to stop it.

"I found something!" Ben yelled, just as Teagan was going to break open another barrel. She walked over to the snow-covered table with everyone else. Ben removed the cloth around the box with three images on the lid. Ben opened the box, all that was in there was a pipe. "Do you guys know what this is?" Ben asked as he lidded the pipe out of the box.

"Is it a billion dollar pipe?"

"It's a meerschaum pipe. Ah, its beautiful." Ian said, holding the pipe. "Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork on the stem." Ben said.

"Is it a million dollar pipe?"

"Yes, it worth a lot of money but its not what I was expecting as a 'treasure'." Teagan said. "It's a clue." Ben said. Teagan grinned at Ben, she looked at Ian who wasn't too thrilled with that information.

"Let me see that." Ben took off the stem of the pipe.

"No, don't break it!"

"Riley, it's supposed to come off." Teagan said.

"We are one step closer to the treasure." Ben said with a smile. Ian and Shaw glanced to each other, Teagan knew that look right away. She reached for Riley's arm but he kept moving. Ben took out a pocketknife, slipping out of his thick glove. Ben pressed the sharp tip of the knife into his thumb, Riley hissed in a breath. Teagan didn't make a sound, blood wasn't something Teagan was afraid of. Ben held the end of the pipe in one hand as he rubbed the blood onto the stem. Teagan leaned closer as Ben covered the whole stem with his blood, there were engravings. She could make out some words too, but, what did this mean?

The stem was rolled against the paper of Ben's journal, revealing words and symbols that would help them find the treasure. "It's Templar symbols." Ben told the group. Teagan nodded, seeing the triangle.

_"The legend writ._

_The stain effected._

_The key in Silence undetected,_

_Fifty-five in iron pen._

_Mr. Matlack can't offend."_

Teagan knew that from somewhere but at the moment, she was drawing a complete blank.

"It's a riddle," Ben grabbed his glove, "I need to think." Teagan could feel the tension in the room, coming from Ian and Shaw more than Ben and Riley.

'This _won't _end well.'

Teagan watched as Ben muttered to himself as he went through all the possible idea to what the riddle meant. "A map – an invisible map."

"Wait a minute, Ben. What do you mean by 'invisible map?'" Ian asked. "'The stain effect' could refer to a dye or reagent used to bring about a certain result. Combined with 'The key in Silence undetected', the implication is that the effect is to make what was undetectable detectable. Unless...'The key in Silence' could be..." Ben trailed off, thinking about what the answer could be.

"Prison." Teagan's head turned to Shaw who was standing next to Riley.

"Albuquerque," Riley said randomly, Teagan smiled at him. "See I can do it too. Snorkel."

"'Fifty-five in iron pen,' iron pen is a prison." Shaw said. "Oh, 'iron pen' is actually an iron pen as in the writing medium." Teagan said.

"Wait a minute, 'Iron pen' – the iron doesn't describe the ink in the pen, it describes what was penned. It was 'iron' – it was firm, it was mineral… No, no, no, that's stupid. It was-it was firm, it was adamant, it was resolved! It was…resolved." Teagan watched in amazement over Ben's brain and his knowledge of history. "'Mr. Matlack can't offend'. Timothy Matlack was the official scribe of the Continental Congress, calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure he could not offend the map, it was put on the back of a resolution that fifty-five men signed. The Declaration of Independence." Ben said.

'Oh, please, treasure, be true!' Teagan thought with a grin across her face.

"Oh, come on. There's no…invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence." Riley rolled his eyes, clearly not believing in the treasure. Teagan wasn't even sure if she believed in it or not by this point.

"It's actually quite clever. A document of _that _importance would ensure the map's survival. And you said there were several Masons signed it, yeah?" Ian asked, sitting next to Ben.

"Nine for sure."

"Well, we'll have to arrange a way to examine it." Ian said, glancing over at Shaw. Teagan didn't like that look in Ian's eyes. "This is one of the most important documents in history. They're not just gonna let us waltz in there and run chemical tests on it." Ben said.

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"I don't know!"

"We could…borrow it." Ian said. Teagan's eyes widened, "Steal it?" Ian nodded.

"I don't think so."

"Ben, the treasure of the Knights Templar is the treasure of _all treasures_." Ian said. "Oh, I didn't know that. Really?" Ben sarcastically said.

"Look, Ben, I understand your bitterness, I really do. You've spent your entire live searching for the treasure, only to have the respect of the historical community treat you and your family with mockery and contempt. You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces, and I want you to have the chance do so." Ian said.  
"How?"

"We all have our areas of expertise. You didn't think mine are limited to writing checks, do you? In another life, I arranged a number of operations of…questionable legalities." Ian said. Teagan glanced nervously between Ian, Shaw, and Ben; Ben never made a single motion towards Ian of agreeing to his side. Teagan was relieved of that, but that didn't make any of the tension leave the hole of the ship.

"I'd take his word for it if I were you." Shaw piped up, walking towards his boss. _This whole time? Why didn't I put two-and-two together? Stupid, Teagan! _

"So, don't worry, I'll make all the arrangements."

"No," Teagan snapped her head around Ben; he was standing, well, sitting his ground.

"I really need your help here." Ian tried to explain but Ben wasn't having that. Teagan felt magnetized to Riley's side, gripping her notebook in her hand tightly, her fingers turning white.

"Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence." Ben was now starting his ground, almost yelling at the villain.

"OK… From this point on, all you'll be is a hindrance." Ian stood up, signaling Shaw to point the gun straight at Ben. Teagan gasped, dropping her journal to the ground as she covered her mouth.

"HEY!" Riley yelled.

"What are you going to do? Are you gonna shoot me, Shaw? Well, you can't shoot me." Teagan started to follow what Ben was starting about. "There's more to the riddle. Information you don't have, I do. I'm the only one who can figure it out and you know that." Ben said.

"Tell me what I need to know, Ben, or I'll shoot your friends." Ian said, Shaw pointed to the gun at Riley and Teagan.  
"HEY!" Teagan gasped again, she didn't want to die in the frozen ship without having a story to bring back.

"Shut up, Teagan! Your jobs are finished here." Ian said, glaring his way at Teagan and Riley. Teagan saw Ben pulled out a flare, lighting it. Shaw and Ian backed away slowly. Shaw now pointed the gun at Ben. Teagan and Riley remained where they were, unable to decided what to do – either they would be shot and killed if they ran towards the door or shot and killed if they moved at all.

"Look where you're standing – all _that _gunpowder. You shoot me, I drop this, we all go up." Ben threatened. "What happens when the flare burns down?" Ian asked.

Ben hesitated, Teagan started to chew at her lip.

"Tell me what I need to know, Ben."

"You need to know… if Shaw can catch!" Ben tossed the flare, out of reach of Shaw. Teagan and Riley closed their eyes tightly, but there was no sound to make any indication that they won this round. Teagan opened one eye, seeing Ian caught the flare.

"Nice try, Ben," Suddenly, the flare expanded up his arm, he exclaimed and dropped the flare. Teagan screamed as the fire started to follow all the gunpowder that was on snow-covered wooden floor. Ian and Shaw ran out of the room, Ian looked back at the three people remaining. He slammed the wooden door closed, leaving them to die.

"Riley, Teagan, get over here!" Ben yelled. Riley took Teagan's hand quickly, running over to Ben.

"Wait, my journal!" Teagan yelled but it was too late, her journal was up in flames.

"What is this?"

"Smuggler's hold. Get in!" Ben yelled, pushing Riley and Teagan into the Smuggler's hold, moving to the back end of the ship. The three adults went down as the ship exploded, Teagan covered her head with her arms, making sure nothing hurt her head over her body. She needed to remember all the details of what happened there.

After a few moments, Teagan sat on her knees, coughing. Riley was doing the same. Teagan could see Ian and his men in the distances, driving away from the scene. Teagan would remember this moment. Ben, Riley, and Teagan emerged from the ruined ship, Teagan dusted off the snow, dust, and dirt from her clothes.

"There's an Inuit village about nine miles east of here." Ben said.

"Then what are we going to do?"

"Start making our way back home."

"No, I think Riley meant about Ian. Ben, he's going to steal the Declaration of Independence." Teagan said. Ben turned towards Teagan and Riley.  
"We stop him."

Teagan liked that idea.

* * *

**So, been watching National Treasure a lot in the last week, so, here's the newest chapter! **

**I should really update Sherlock next before people rip my head off my neck. But I have a few more stories I've been working for the past month for here and I want to post them too. So more stories to come - I should finish some before starting new, right? Oh, well, I don't like doing that anymore. **


End file.
